An Edmonton, Alberta woman awoke to a pain in her chest at 4 am this morning. Initially thinking that she was still dreaming, she realized what had happened when she saw a hole in the ceiling and a bullet beside her on the bed. Fortunately the bullet had slowed down enough that it did not cause too much damage, leaving her with red welts, a bruise, and a sense of insecurity. Police are still investigating.

Canadian MP Don Boudria also awoke to find an unusual situation occurring on his property. Boudria was at home with his wife when his constituency office called to alert him to the fact that he would have some "trouble leaving his driveway". Turns out that a frustrated cattle farmer dumped a bovine carcass on the politician's property during the night in what the farmer calls an "act of protest intended to mobilize public opinion." The farmer was upset "because the government didn't do much to solve the (mad-cow) problem." The U.S. border has remained partly closed to Canadian beef since May 2003, when a case of mad-cow disease was discovered in Alberta.

It has been that kind of day, hasn't it? A bullet in the chest, a dead cow on your doorstep, a dead pope in one ear and an almost dead pope in the other.

The real rude awakening is for fans of Tim Horton's coffee. Wendy's, the parent company of Tim's, has decided to retarget the Tim Horton's brand to focus on healthier fare, ostensibly to compete with the new McDonald's menu. Say goodbye to Tim's famous coffee, hello to Tim's smoothies! Today sucks.